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A Writer’s Space with guest author Audrey Greathouse

Unlike a lot of authors, I never had a special place to write. When I was in high school, drafting my first novel, I sat at a folding sewing table set up in my room. I would sometimes go down to Third Place Commons—a tiny mall and cafe-esque food court built around Third Place Books—where I’d get a good barbecue sandwich while I pounded out a few thousand words. It was a special place to me for years, but since I started traveling, however, I’ve very rarely been the same state for more than two months. While exploring the west coast, I learned a valuable lesson: if you can write, you can write anywhere. (This, I suspect, is why I’m so much better at writing than piano even though I’ve been playing piano twice as long.)

Once I settled (or at least set up a homebase) in San Jose, it seemed like the ideal time to sit down and build the perfect writing space. After all, I had a book deal. I was a professional, and professionals have set aside time and space for their jobs. So last November, spurred by a beautiful desk my boyfriend bought me, I put together the following writing space in our tiny attic room.

My writing loft, in this old house, has beautiful yellow walls and a sloping ceiling that makes it feel cozy. I’ve got a poster of one of my favorite modern paintings, Alex Ruis’s Starry Night overhead because it reminds me of what I’m trying to do. Capturing the beauty of life-as-it-is in art is an impossible feat. You have to take creative liberties to show people how it feels, which is one of the primary reasons I write fantasy and science-fiction.

My desk is mostly filled with chocolate, financial papers, and letters from the beautiful woman you see pictured with me in the frame. She’s also very adventurous and inspiring. Her name’s Margaret May, a name you’ll probably hear again if you read The Neverland Wars…

I’ve also got my rocking chair set up for when I need to pensively sway and consider a plot point before I continue writing.

Over here is the bookshelf! I’d do a closeup so you can spy on everything I’m reading, but it’s almost entirely composed of the rest of the house members’ books. Some of my books are in my bedroom, but most of my personal library still lives in Washington. Below it, we have all the balloons left over from my birthday (which was AWESOME. Don’t ever stop having birthday parties with balloons.)

As you can see, it is a comfortable set up and a focused environment. But something’s missing! Where’s the writer?

…Probably curled up in bed, halfway under the covers, propped up with pillows, and writing in her pajamas. I never use my writing space. I write outside in the daytime for vitamin D, and then hunker down in bed to write at night. If I’m feeling adventurous, I might walk to the cafe.

Peter is plotting his retaliation against the latest bombing. Neverland needs an army, and Peter Pan is certain children will join him once they know what is at stake. The lost boys and girls are planning an invasion in suburbia to recruit, but in order to deliver their message, they will need the help of an old and dangerous associate—the infamous Pied Piper.

Hunting him down will require a spy in in the real world, and Gwen soon finds herself in charge of locating the Piper and cutting an uncertain deal with him. She isn’t sure if Peter trusts her that much, or if he’s just trying to keep her away from him in Neverland. Are they friends, or just allies? But Peter might not even matter now that she’s nearly home and meeting with Jay again.

The Piper isn’t the only one hiding from the adults’ war on magic though, and when Gwen goes back to reality, she’ll have to confront one of Peter’s oldest friends… and one of his earliest enemies.

And be sure to head over to twitter for her live Q&A on Wednesday, Aug. 24th!

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